Archive · 30 Dec 2025
Bizarre Fairy Lantern Parasitic Plant Discovered in Malaysia
A new type of plant called the fairy lantern was found in Malaysia.
This plant is special because it doesn't make its own food like most plants.
Instead, it steals nutrients from fungi in the soil.
The fairy lantern has a unique pinkish flower that looks like an umbrella with three tentacle-like structures.
Only 20 of these plants have been found so far, and scientists think they might be in danger of disappearing because there are so few of them.
The plant was discovered by a naturalist named Gim Siew Tan, who posted pictures online.
Scientists are still learning about this strange plant and how it lives.
A new parasitic plant species, Thismia selangorensis, was discovered in Malaysia, known as the fairy lantern.
The plant is a mycoheterotroph, stealing nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi in the soil.
It has a unique umbrella-shaped flower with tentacle-like extensions, and only 20 individuals have been found.
The plant is considered critically endangered due to its rarity and small range.
Discovered by naturalist Gim Siew Tan, the plant was identified and named by botanists from the Forest Research Institute Malaysia.
- Who
- Gim Siew Tan (discoverer), Siti Munirah (botanist), Vincent Merckx (biologist), Michal Sochor (botanist)
- What
- Discovery of a new parasitic plant species, Thismia selangorensis, also known as the fairy lantern
- When
- Discovered in November 2023, study published last month
- Where
- Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Why
- The plant is a mycoheterotroph, parasitizing fungi for nutrients, and is considered critically endangered due to its rarity and small range
- Plant Name
- Thismia selangorensis
- Location
- Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest, Malaysia
- Discoverer
- Gim Siew Tan
- Publication
- PhytoKeys
- Number of Known Individuals
- 20
- Conservation Status
- Critically Endangered
- Type of Plant
- Mycoheterotroph
- Notable Feature
- Umbrella-shaped dome with tentacle-like extensions